The full grip position. Ready to swing. 

The initial grip position. Note the fold at the top. 

H2H and Handstands

Solo training today and feeling very good, physically and emotionally. Almost positive!LOL!!
Starting to get into the best shape I have been in in many mnay years. Kind of a wierd amalgam of gymnastics muscle density, bike racing cardio shape and powerlifting focus.

Work capacity is growing almost daily. Energy is at an all time high.And yet strength is the best its been in eons. Real strength. Everyday get out of bed strength.Not peaking strength. Useable stuff.

H2H
circuit:
around body pass/clockwise only
around leg pass
figure eights
26#x10 each easy
36#x8 each no problem
44#x6each tough. abit heavy on around leg circles.
26x20 Yes. this was good. lots of core work there.

superset each above with bosu ball stands/two feet
eyes closed
eyes closed and head moves side to side
eyes closed and head move up and down

Undergrip flips to alternate hand
26x10 each leg/left leg first
36x10 each leg
44x8 each leg solid
53x6 each leg. not bad at all. left leg is very strong. really found a rythym.

superset with bosu one foot stands
4 sets for 20-30 seconds. no tap offs. this much stronger now.I can fight for position without the knee moving.

DARC flips to alternate hand
36x20x2
44x20
53x16 Not bad at all.

superset with one foot stands EYES CLOSED
these were feeling so good I went for some eyes closed work and it was so much stronger'

left leg
3 sec/3 sec/4 sec/ 4 sec/3 sec/5 sec/6 sec!!! best before was a weak almost 3
right leg
4sec/4/sec/5sec/7 sec/ 10 seconds!! YES! it was very close but I got it./7 sec/ 9 sec.

this worked so well using the bosu as active recovery between kb sets. cant beleive the improvement

Handstands
7 sets, each taking three attemps to get all the way up to hold a 8-10 second handstand. was going to keep doing them until I made it on a first attempt but decided enough after the seventh miss.

superset with hangs from the powerrack feet off floor.
30 seconds each. to prepare shoulder for coming ring work.

datsit!

Bear crawl hell: Kettlebells, Strength, Fitness, Martial Arts

Bear crawl hell: Kettlebells, Strength, Fitness, Martial Arts

Study Shows Value of Women's Fitness - New York Times

Study Shows Value of Women's Fitness - New York Times

another reason KB training rocks. NOTHING is more intense than high intensity KB training. And even average ,non atheltic people can produce very high workloads. THis is great news.

BOSU Community :: View topic - How Do U Do it?

BOSU Community :: View topic - How Do U Do it?

Do you BOSU?

Day at the beach part two Dinner for Five kettebell style

So after an incredible afternoon of training, swimming and eating Mike C, Brett David Weck and I were headed back to San Diego to meet up with Steve Cotter and deliver the mutant kbs to him.

The back of the Bretts car weighed down mightily with us and the kb's as we crawled along 405 for FOUR HOURS to get to beautiful San Diego. should have taken less than two I was told.

When we arrived at Davids house we immediately got the grill fired and the steaks ready then explored David exercise invention lab of bosus, bosu bolas in various in numerous states of readiness and med balls, kettlebells and various weights and balance boards. balance training heaven.

David also has a slack chain strung across his back yard like in the circus. he walks across the thing like he was on the ground and has a rachet setup so he can change tension and therefore the balance challenge, in a heartbeat.freaky balance. another mutant.

pretty soon the steaks were done, the wine poured and Mr Cotter walking in the door to claim his kb's. the conversation was all over the place from the incredible agility of Parkour street runners to the intense discipline required of chinese wu shu training and girevoy sport to the intensity and athleticism of pro wrestlers and the strength and power of the greats from the past. It was like Dinner for Five for fitness. No topics were off base and no holds barred. great great stuff.

Topics for future projects and dvds were thrown around as well as plans for more of what we just finished, high end training and comradeship and things learned from and in multiple and numerous ways.

Mike C discovered Wecks 8 lb bosu med balls and started juggling them, doing drop sets down to the 6's .going until he missed then dropping down to the 4's and then to baseballs for "active recovery". It was 12:30 in the AM , we had been going all day and mike is in Wecks garage, doing a gazillion juggling reps with weighted balls and sweating like no tomorrow.Then he was on the indo board doing the same. I was shot and called it a night although I should have gotten my camera again.Next time.He told me later they were up to 3:30 training. Hell, next time we'll video the whole thing.

Windmills and DARCS

thought I was tired going into todays workout. As usual, how I start the workout is rarely how I feel when I am finished with it.

am workout

123 continuous snaps with the bola while standing on the bosu ball! Right hand catches made 123 in a row and the left hand only 96 but I went onto 123 also after than one miss. On monday my best was 30. definitely found the groove. Next goal is 100 while standing on one foot. that will take a while mainly because I cant stand on one leg LONG enough to do 100! LOL!!

total snaps done: probably 300 each side( took me awhile to hit that 100 set.)

1 PM

windmills
36x5 l + 5 low windmill left also( this gets more work to the weak left hip as well as the r.lat
44x5+5 low windmill
53x5+5low windmill strong.
72x5+5 low windmill this is now a regular training weight!
x5+5
x5+5

Darcs
53x20
72x20x9 sets( ten switches each side)
these were strong today even though my arms are tight.
88x20!!! saved the best for last. never did one DARC with the Bulldog till today.

200 DARC reps. cardio and power are good.

front squat
53x5 ( hold kb left only)
x6
x6
x7
x7
53x8( switch right side rack)
x9
x10x3

10 sets of front squats! I need these. have to do ten by ten with this now.


datsit..

optimum protocol for ladder sets: Kettlebells, Strength, Fitness, Martial Arts

optimum protocol for ladder sets: Kettlebells, Strength, Fitness, Martial Arts

Your Body Is Younger Than You Think - New York Times

Your Body Is Younger Than You Think - New York Times
Cool. This bodes well for healing the body.

Pavel's Weekly Strength and Flexibility Training Tip

Pavel's Weekly Strength and Flexibility Training Tip

This is an important entry.Training the tendons and ligaments correctly.

Pavel's Weekly Russian Kettlebell Challenge Tip

Pavel's Weekly Russian Kettlebell Challenge Tip

I make the big time: Pavels blog!

Snatches

Incredible time this weekend with Pavel and the guys. Havent had so much fun since the Worlds in Japan and that was in 1995. Was super amped and pumped all morning long and was playing with bosu bola on the bosu ball for about an hour as I had a cancellation!

Finally got the snaps down and hit 30 in a row each hand standing on the bosu. This is going to addict me hard.

Snatch
36x6+6 x2 feel strong.

53x7+7
x9+9 feeling light
x12+12 right side is now officially better than my left in almost 3 years.
x14+14 it is HOT but this wasnt that bad. dont want to do it again though.
x7+7 thank god for drop downs.
x9+9 that didnt last long
x12+12 ok, I'm tired now but the set was easy.
x14+14

Volume =168 reps /PR! didnt time it but rest periods were very quick. a minute or so up until the 12 and 14 sets. getting ready to go to the two pood and some lower reps.

you could probably organize the snatch training like classical powerlifting periodization- start with high reps and lower intensity( weight) and as you peak out on that drop down in reps and increase load. I can see I'm not going to want to do too many more weeks of ever increasing snatch reps. Hands wont take it either. Will see what happens when the grips come.

one arm hi pulls
72x6+6
x8+8
x10+10 these were hard. hips and legs are smoked

kb cleans
72x5+5x3 sets I'm done.

going back to protein drinks, I can feel the need for more recovery and I just dont like to eat food proteins. Dont mind drinking them though.

In Service day

When I was a gymnastics coach I was lucky enough to learn from Roy Davis, not only a great gymnast but an incredible teacher of teachers. We always had in service days to discuss our training methods and techniques. It was always fun and I never came away without learning a lot.

This weekend was like that starting with the incredible experience of getting to our hotel just two blocks from the beach right about at sunset. We were dipping our feet in the water and I realized just how much being in the water means to me. I grew up in Miami Beach and it has very special meaning to me. The beach feels like home. We had a great steak dinner to prepare for the next days workout and the training discussions we were having were already fantastic. An omen of things to come.

Got picked up early by Brett Jones, strongman extraordinaire and Bosu Ball inventor and overall balance master David Weck. When we arrived Pavel was already to go and I noticed the smallest bell was the two pood.We had 2 88's 2 72's 2 106's and a 125 and a 145 coming later. Okay. this should be fun......

Pavel was doing tactical pullups with the 40kg , I was helping mike C with muscle ups on the rings, mike m was playing with the 25 pound clubells like they were balsa indian clubs andBrett was getting his gripper ready. Things started slowly then picked up pace as Mike hit the pullups with Pavel, I started doing two handed swing flips with the 72 then the 88 then the 106! The sand also provided a very interesting and challenging base of support.

I got a very solid triple with the Beast the first time I have touched it. Very happy with that. The company of strong men always makes one better. Subsequent sets with the Bulldog and the two pood were SO much lighter. Amazing.

Mike then started doing his tarzan routine swinging across the ten ring sets like he was george of the jungle. effortless. Jones and weck both had their fun with this as well. Then onto no feet clumbs up the rope to win a lunch bet for weck and then mike c.

Pavels is alternating presses with the bulldog with more pullups for single with the bulldog with ten pounds added.Grip work with brett is sandwiched in too as were his neck and jaw drills from resiliant.Mike C joins in the pullup fun. Man I wish I could still do those. I used to be very strong in this but I was determined not to be stupid this weekend and come out unscathed.

Pavel Mike C Brett and David shift focus to the double rope setup and proceed to double arm hop with NO LEGS all the way to the top!!! and then down to arms at a time a freakish display of strength and coordination.

then the monster kbs arrive from Shawn Michaels and thes things are BIG. The 125# er is a very wide based flat bottoms little half mushroom and the 145 is cast from a freaking basketball. Giganto.

Mahler and Mike start swinging, then one arm swinging and then cleaning. Mahler then side presse the 125 and has to bail out on the 145 but a huge display of strength and control. Mike tries to snatch the 145 but he decides its not a great idea and lets it go. Unreal strength for these attempts at first site.

Jones is double cleaning the TWO BEASTS like they were two poods. he also bottoms up cleans the beast!He and Mike C then proceed to juggle tow two 72's doing double flips with mike doing his normal crazy stuff of sideways flips and alternatiing under over flips with the 72's. You really cant believe it til you see it.

Jones also cleans, snatches and bent presses the 125# and cleans and one arm swings the 145#!!! Unfreakingreal.

I felt very happy with my two hands swings with the 125 as well as the 145# Not bad at all. My rooting and hip snap are much improved.

I also clean the Bulldog for the first time regular style then I did it BOTTOMS UP!! Yeah baby! very very happy with that.

Next up were handstands and I helped Brett, Pavel and Mike C get into solid positions and taught them the secrets of finger control that allows you to hold a handstand for as long as you want. I am also happy to report that my handstand was the best its been in fifteen years and after a slow start I was able to nail them at will.

Then we went for a swim and the fun began. we had swum out a decent distance from shore, enjoying the water and clean air when Mike C says "let swim out to that bouy" So of course we do. Pavel, Mike C, Jones Weck and me are headed out there and i KNOW this is going to be tougher than it looks.

But the GREAT news is that my shoulder, which didnt work AT ALL two years ago in Hawaii allowed me to swim like my old self again and tie Weck to the bouy!Amazing. Gettin back was tough and I was starving when we finished.

We shared a great lunch and talked training for the next two hours. What an amazing weekend.

Part two : Dinner for Five Kettlebell style.

Pavel does it again. 

Mike C crushes it. 

As does Weck 

As does Jones with big hops 

Pavel hop pulls to the top of the double ropes. 

So of course Mike C does too 

Weck climbs to the top to win a lunch bet with arms only 

So of course Mahler has to bent press! 

Mike C cleans the monster 145#!~ 

Rif two arm swings the 125# er 

Mike C one arms the 145# er He also made a valiant attempt to snatch it a few times but thought better of it. This is of course on first site. He will snatch it if he wants to.

Mike M. side presses it. 

Mike C swings it. He also snatched the beast with ease.

Shawn Michaels sold these monster to fellow monster Steve Cotter. A 125# and a 145# KB. Nice. 

Half way through. 

Jones and Pavel put a hurt on the #3 captain of crush

and Pavel works on his pullups with the 40kg PLUS ten pounds of added weight

the boys play with the club bells 

and does a triple with the 40 kg

Mike plays monkey boy 

A day at the beach. What an intense weekend in Santa Monica training and talking shop with Pavel, Mike Mahler, David Weck, Mike Castrogiovanni, Brett Jones and Steve Cotter. 

Entrainment

Entrainment

Double Windmills and DARCs

AM Bosu work:
grease the groove with one foot stands throughout the morning. 5-6 times.


1 pm:
Decided to do some double windmills today to address my left hip and right lat weaknesses similtaneously.

36 up/18 low for 5 left side only
44up/36 lo for 5 left side
53up/44 lo for 5 left side wow this was harder than expected on my right hand!Much shorter ROM but a very interesting dynamic and connection beween the left and right arm.
53 up/36 lox5 better

windmill
72x4 not bad at all left only
72x5 strong. left only

need to do right arm overhead supports when I only do the left side windmill.

DARCS ( no warmup- this is for you Bill)
53x80 new PR I actually was warm from the windmills
53x60 almost as hard
53x40
53x30
210 reps ( after reading cotters 1000 rep one arm swing w/o I feel like a wimp.

bottoms up cleans ( hand is too sore to do reg cleans)
36x5+5
53x5+5
x6+6
x7+7
x10+10 ! easy.was going to do eight but it was too easy. grip and total body tightness feel great. I know I will be able to BU clean the bulldog soon.

Bosu ball stands
8 reps 30 seconds

Need to get in top shape---1,000 1 arm Swings w/ 40kg: Kettlebells, Strength, Fitness, Martial Arts

Need to get in top shape---1,000 1 arm Swings w/ 40kg: Kettlebells, Strength, Fitness, Martial Arts

This is the core of what KB training can be about.Cant get more simple than this: a one arm swing with a very heavy weight for very high reps.amazing man Mr Cotter is.

Troy, here is my formula for healthy knees after 35 plus years of grappling: Kettlebells, Strength, Fitness, Martial Arts

Troy, here is my formula for healthy knees after 35 plus years of grappling: Kettlebells, Strength, Fitness, Martial Arts

Bosu Practice.

I've been standing on the bosu almost every day these last few weeks and I have to say I have noticed a very definite improvement in my very bad left knee,especially in the last week. Normally I dont have full extension in the knee, nor full ROM ,which means the thing can get very tight very quickly just from small amounts of standing or walking.I am constantly trying to find ways to stretch out the IT band and the outer head of the hamstring which tightens up mightily and really puts a torque on my lower leg and then my knee. and then my hip and spine.

Its all connected.


Since I have been standing on the bosu,especially in my one foot stance, I've noticed how much stretch I get when letting my heel drop down into the ball. and the knee lock out)Normally I think if trying to maintain balance on the foot by having even weight distribution( eg wobble board).

By letting the heel sink fully my hams really stretch and the quads can contract very strongly. It almost feels like a terminal knee extension you do at the physio.I can keep pushing through the heel and get a stronger quad contraction and subsequent hamstring release.

BY pulling up my knee cap I can maximize this. Also by standing on the down side of the dome I put the calf into a prestretch at the start of the drill. This is one thing I really like about the bosu and am discovering more about every day How to use ALL SIDES of the dome.
What side activates what section of my body. very interesting stuff.


For instance I was walking in place on the bosu with the left foot right behind the bullseye on the down side and the right foot on the right side trying to get my medial arch to activate( plantar faci been bothering me). This worked like a charm and when I got off the ball after 15 minutes my knee was back in place and my opposite side foot arch felt fine. I am also using perfect alignment and tapping off with toes or hands whenever I need to so as not to get too lateral .Seems when I fight to hard to keep balance the knee goes out and adjusts wierdly.

also spent about 5 minutes each hour this morning just standing and playing with the bola or balancing during work. this is when the knee toqued out on me- standing with the knee in flexion is no good.-have to lockout and drop the heel.

Interesting synchronicity: Kettlebells, Strength, Fitness, Martial Arts

Interesting synchronicity: Kettlebells, Strength, Fitness, Martial Arts

Pavel thinks I should expand this into an article for a bodybuilding magazine. Not a bad idea at all, as usual.

If it's Monday then it's Snatches.

wanted to do a bit more than the 134 reps I did last week. The 53 is feeling light again and thats a great thing. Been awhile. So much of strength is mental, how you think about a task and how you think about yourself. I had been thinking of myself as a strength-endurance trainer and was hoping to get as lean as possible and re-develop my "go all day" mentality.

Then I started feeling weaker for the first time since I started this journey in January of this year.SO I upped my proteins and my calories a little and started thinking about BEING strong, not just enduring. Almost overnight my lifts went up and the weights started feeling lighter in my hands,always a sure sign your strength is up.

I have to remember that endurance, like speed, is created in the crucible of strength. Just keep my bodyweight where it should be and get about getting stronger. Just have to modulate intensities and volume so I dont get ahead of myself and get hurt.

am training
bought a new bosu ball for Girya so I stood on the ball , off and on for six hours.great grease the groove.

Snatch
36x8+8x2
44x5+5

53x6+6
x8+8
x10+10 no problems groove feels solid.wind is easy.
x12+12
x14+14 not bad at all but tore a mid hand callous. havent had one of these in awhile.not too deep.
x6+6
x8+8
x10+10
x5+5

total volume= 158 reps. a bit high but not bad. have to write these out in advance it seems.

one kb hi pull
72x5+5
x6+6
x8+8

these were solid. hip snap is best ever!I actually feel like I have some hip drive.

BU cleans
was going to do regular cleans but tear said no.
44x5+5
53x5+5
72x4+4
72x5+5 yes! these are getting consistent. I can see the bulldog bottoms up now.

datsit.

DOGEN ZENJI

DOGEN ZENJI

BIll Fox mentioned dogen in one of his posts on the forum and it got me to thinking how long it has been since I studied any Zen literature. This is my spiritual roots.

The team photo from the 2000 IPF Pan AM championships where I was head coach and Kelii won Gold and Best Lifter as well. Kelii had taken third in two IPF World Championships in 1993 in Sweden and 1996 in Canada as well as tied for third in 1995 in Chiba, Japan. Good times. 

Kelii. Perhaps the toughest powerlifter I have ever known, male or female.I had the pleasure of coaching and training with her for nine years, including three IPF World Championships.

I have NEVER seen her quit on a lift, in training or competition.Her best total, done at the venerable Ironman competition was 1014 at 123 lbs and having had a terrible flu for a weekprior to the meet! This included a 391 squat, a 230 bench and and 391 deadlift.

Kelii was legendary for her unbeleivable raw strength. She would constantly
try to beat everyone she trained with, no matter they were male and outweighed her by a hundred pounds or more. I considered myself happy if I stayed 100 pound ahead of her in any lift!

Some of her best training lifts

413 pound squat( in old school single ply suit)
250 pound bench press( in single ply denim shirt)
3 full rep dips with 100 pound db attached.
Power good mornings with 315 pounds
5 pullups with 50 pounds attached
spread eagle situps with 100 pound db at the forehead( her abs strength was insane!)

She had numerous serious injuries including two torn hamstrings and cracked ribs and never ever quit.

She also had a bad habit( my coaching errors) of doing good mornings with her opening squats in competitions. This lead to way too many 359 pound good mornings that she ground out til completion. We should have trained full squats instead of so many box squats but man was she tough!

I have also never seen anybody pull so hard on the deadlift. It didnt matter where she hit the sticking point she would finish the lift, no matter how long it took. ANd this is from a 40 plus year old, lifetime drug free 123 pound woman. unbeleivable.

The beauty of simplicty

I really want ot get back to basics with my kb training and go back to quantifying my workouts with variations in load and intensities instead of exercise variations. More like my powerlifting workouts. I 've found I much prefer this rythym to free form workouts and focusing on increasing workloads and weights to a conditioning focus.

I also love the simplicity this training allows. You always know where you are.

also, Bosu one foot stands for 30 seconds each between sets of swings and presses.

two hand swing
36x10x2
53x10 taking a whole 'nother mental approach to this exercise now. I've always hated it.
72x10 really focusing on finding the arc and the max power on the hip snap. comp acc.
88x10x10 this wasnt too bad although it took me a few sets to find the arc. not easy either.
will build this up by sets not reps. 12 x10 next week.

Russian military press
36x5+5
53x5+5x2
72x2x6 sets. keeping the reps down really allows me to concentrate on position. I have to really externally rotate my arm to keep the elbow from swinging out. almost like a curl press.
thes felt decent though.
53x5+5

KB lunges
53x8+8x4 sets fast paced too. these are great. arches a bit problematic so I stayed light.

Saturdays will almost be like my old powerlift days with a pull a press and a leg movement.

datsit.

H2H in the parl

about an hour of H2H work with the 16 kg KB doing the routine a few times through and then breaking it into parts and just working components. ALso spent 30 minute on the bosu bola with David Weck its inventor. tons of fun and very challending hand eye stuff. its addicting to play with and very rythmic. so much like the kb in its own way.

at home later

ten minutes of various stands on bosu. this is definitely getting my foot, ankle, leg and hip stronger.

datsit/.

regaining lost muscle do to disuse atrophy: Kettlebells, Strength, Fitness, Martial Arts

regaining lost muscle do to disuse atrophy: Kettlebells, Strength, Fitness, Martial Arts

On Systema (long as usual): Kettlebells, Strength, Fitness, Martial Arts

On Systema (long as usual): Kettlebells, Strength, Fitness, Martial Arts

great info from Nate Morrison about martial arts systems.His stuff is always so interesting.

Hard Wednesday

shoulder is still a bit touchy from Mondays two pood arm bars. right side is fine but left got subluxed a bit. goes to my theory that I should windmill on my left side and arm bar on the right, but who knows? I can get hurt sleeping.

Windmills( both sides)
36x5L+ right side stretch onlyx5
44x5L and 26 5 right
53x5 L and 36 5 right
53x5+5 both sides
x5+5 these are feeling ok, trying to stretch more on the right side.The key is that the overhead arm is moving ever so slightly to stay over the shoulder and balanced as the torso descends. If the shoulder is unstable, as mine is, it makes it very difficult to do but easy to see progress being made.
x5+5
x5+5 Mike did 10x10x10 with each arm with the Bulldog!!!

two kb one arm swings( all sets supersetted with Bosu one foot stands,30 second each leg)
36+26(62)x8
44x26(70)x8 I like these, lighter bell in front is harder than vice versa.
44+36(80)x8

one arm swing with the Bulldog(88)
88x8 WOW, this was way harder than I thought. Huge uptick in grip requirement and the things is way the hell out there. really wants to pull me over.
88x8 again tough but my hip snap is much inproved, as is my rooting ability.
88x7 left forearm/bicep strainy. Lots of body work recently

two kb one arm swing
53+44(97)x6 this was easier, alot, than the bulldog and felt lighter.


was going to do clean but left arm said no so

Handstands
6 sets of held handstands for about 10-15 seconds each.
shoulder and hips are twisted too much.HS felt strong though.

datsit

"Strength is a skill"

"During the breaks at the last weekend’s ‘Unlock’ workshop Com. Steve Maxwell casually got students to do full one-arm pushups and pistols in minutes. Strength is a skill. We teach it by reverse engineering what the strongest people do naturally. "

Pavel

This is what makes Pavel so great. He can condense the most important and complex subjects in just a few words.Cut to the freakin chase.Beautiful.